JIM LANG’S 10 NFL THINGS: WEEK 13
Hi there, what a week it was in the NFL. There is a lot to talk about from the past week. So, with that being said, we are going to get right to it.
1 – Thanksgiving – Week 12 in the NFL kicked off with the annual holiday triple-header. Everything got underway at Ford Field in Detroit. The final five minutes of the Bears win over the Lions was some of the worst football I have ever witnessed. What did America ever do to deserve a game like that? Dan Campbell and the bumbling Lions coaching staff get no sympathy from me over their winless status. In fact, looking at their remaining schedule, it would take a minor miracle for the Lions to win a game this season. Up next, the Dallas Cowboys hosted the Las Vegas Raiders. While the Raiders beat the Cowboys in over-time for a much-needed win, the star of the game was referee Shawn Hochuli. A total of 28 penalties were called in this game as the refs decided that they needed to do something on almost every play. This was the first game in 18 years in which both teams had 14 penalties for over 100 yards. Way to go Shawn, you did it! Having said all that, the refs were no excuse for the Raiders Hunter Renfrow ending up with 8 catches for a career-high 134 yards. That is all on the Dallas defence. The Cowboys better be careful, they have two games in December against a dangerous Washington team. And finally, everything wrapped up in New Orleans as the Saints hosted the Buffalo Bills. The Saints were missing running back Alvin Kamara and seven other starting players, and it showed. Josh Allen took advantage of the injury riddled Saints and threw four touchdowns as the Bills picked up a crucial victory. With the win, the Bills keep pace with the red-hot Patriots. The battle for first place in the AFC East is going to be on the national stage when the Bills host the Patriots in the Monday night game on December 5th.
2 – The Patriots – As I said on Twitter this past weekend, Mac Jones is a player, an absolute stud. The rookie quarterback did it again as the Patriots beat up the Titans to extend their winning streak to six games. Jones had the highest passer rating of any quarterback this week as he continues to grow by leaps and bounds every with each game. Meanwhile, the Patriots defence have become incredibly good at creating turnovers. You toss in a coach like Bill Belichick, and you get the hottest team in the NFL. The Patriots now have the biggest point differential (points scored versus points allowed) in the NFL. The Patriots are not just winning, they are blowing out their opponents.
3 – Leonard Fournette – How ironic that one week after Jonathan Taylor put together a ridonkulous game, the Leonard Fournette would do the same thing against Taylor’s Colts. Fournette ran for 100 yards and three touchdowns, and he also caught seven passes and a touchdown. Of course, Fournette’s fourth touchdown of the day was the game winner as he willed himself into the endzone from 28 yards out. For all those wondering why the heck didn’t Fournette play like this with the Jaguars, consider the difference in teams. The Jags are a dysfunctional franchise that during Fournette’s time was being led by a sub-par coach and lacking in over-all talent. In Tampa, he is a part of a Super Bowl winning team led by a veteran coach and one of the greatest players in the history of the NFL. That is why he is doing so much better in Tampa.
4 – Joe Burrow – A photo of Joe Burrow’s girlfriend sitting in the stands with a lucky “Joe Burrow” beer cozy went viral over the weekend. Luck had nothing to do with it. Burrow threw a touchdown and Joe Mixon ran for a career-high 165 yards as the Bengals embarrassed the Steelers to improve to 7-4 on the year. The thing I like the most about Burrow is his attitude. During the game, he got into a dust-up with TJ Watt after throwing an interception. Asked about it after the game, Burrow shrugged and said, ‘It’s football. I told him nice block.’ The Bengals are in good hands for the next decade with Joe Burrow.
5 – The Dolphins! – Riding a 4-game winning streak the Dolphins are finally playing the kind of people most people (including me!) expected them to. Tua and Jaylen Waddle were magic together. Brian Flores had to be thrilled to watch his defence pummel Cam Newton into the grass. Jaelan Phillips (3 sacks) and Emmanuel Ogbah were so good, that the Panthers were forced to pull Newton from the game for his own protection. Even better news for the Dolphins is their schedule over the next three weeks. Next week they face the Giants, then they have a bye week and then the Jets. Not only did the Panthers get their butts kicked, but they also lost Christian McCaffery for the rest of the season with a serious ankle injury. For all his talent, McCaffery had played a total of 10 games the past two seasons.
6 – 49ers – Double thumbs up to the 49ers for taking care of business against the Vikings. The 49ers have won 3 in-a-row and they are in the driver’s seat in the NFC Wild Card. I am not sure why this is, but not enough people talk about the 49ers Nick Bosa. He is one of the most disruptive defensive players in the NFL and he is just entering his prime. Vikings fans (hello Arash Madani!) are still seething over the way this game ended. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was forced to burn a timeout when he mistakenly lined up behind his guard and not his centre on a crucial play on 4thdown. Asked about it afterwards, Cousins admitted, ‘I just got under the wrong guy.’ Even more concerning for the Vikings was the ugly injury to Dalvin Cook. If he is gone for any length of time, they are in big trouble. I can almost hear Arash Madani swearing into his beer from here!
7 – The Packers – Maybe Aaron Rodgers should show off his injured toe to the media more often. Rodgers picked apart the Rams defence for over 300 yards and two touchdowns as the Packers picked up a crucial win in their race with the Cardinals and the Buccaneers for the top seed in the NFC. Not only did the Packers win, but they are also getting healthy at the right time of the year. That is unwelcome news for Arizona, Tampa, and LA, because there is no way any one of those teams want to travel to Green Bay at the end of January for a playoff game. The Rams are not the unbeatable juggernaut many thought they would be. After facing the North Florida Slumpbusters (The Jaguars), the Rams will face the Cardinals in a Monday night cage match. If the Rams are the Super Bowl contending team that they think they are, they have to beat the Cardinals. If not, the Rams will be destined to a Wild Card team in the post-season.
8 – Sunday Night – I highly doubt that John Harbaugh will have much good to say about his team’s win over the Browns Sunday night. Teams in the NFL don’t usually win games when their starting quarterback throws four interceptions. The Ravens were able to overcome a rough game by LaMar Jackson because the Browns were unable to run the football and Baker Mayfield was brutal. But an ugly win is still a win, and the Ravens will take it.
9 – Playoff Bubble – Well, well, well, things are getting interesting in the NFL playoff race. Justin Herbert and the Chargers walked into Mile High stadium and got punched in the mouth as the Broncos handed them a good old-fashioned beating. With the win, the Broncos are knocking on the door of the AFC Wild Card. In the NFC, the inconsistent Vikings is giving teams like the Falcons and the Saints hope they can make the post-season. If the Saints can get Alvin Kamara and some of their other players healthy, they have a good shot at the final Wild Card spot. In the AFC, the thought of going to Gillette Stadium in January to face the Patriots has to be a little frightening. In January, the wind whips though that stadium, creating an atmosphere just a few notches below the frozen tundra.
10 – Monday Night Mayhem – Week 12 wrapped up in Washington as the Football Team, hosted the slumping Seattle Seahawks. Maybe Taylor Heinicke is the quarterback that Washington has been searching for. Using his arm and his feet, Heinicke led the way as Washington beat Seattle and extended their winning streak to 3 games. An undrafted player out of Old Dominion, the 28-year-old Heinicke is easy for cheer for. If the season ended today, the Washington Football Team would have the final Wild Card spot in the NFC. Coach Ron Rivera is a good reminder that football isn’t all about X’s and O’s. Football is an emotional game and Rivera is just as fired up as his players, before, during and after the game. The Las Vegas Raiders better get ready for a street fight next week when they face Heinicke and the WFT.
Week 13 will kick off Thursday night in New Orleans as the Saints host the Dallas Cowboys. Because he tested positive for Covid, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy won’t be on sideline for this game. The Cowboys will be facing a Saints team desperate for a win.
The biggest game of Week 13 takes place next Monday when the Bills host the Patriots in the mother-of-all AFC East showdowns. And there are few things Bill Belichick likes more than beating the Bills in Buffalo. Cue the Bills Mafia!
I will talk to you next week.
(Jim Lang is Canada’s foremost expert on the NFL. Follow him on Twitter at @JimLangSports)
